Page 47 of Unbound

I reach into the water, struggling to even think of what I would do with my powers if I had complete command. Form a weapon of my own? Try to push him down with heavy currents? Pop his bubbles?

Before I can even start to try, he's on me again, rushing through the water like a human arrow, dagger extended toward me.

I jerk to the side, but I'm not fast enough this time. The cold bite of his weapon shocks me, pain exploding through my nerves like lightning, my screams piercing inside the solitude of my air bubble.

He stabbed me in the left shoulder. Blood so dark it almost looks black clouds out from the wound, gushing from between my clasping fingers.

Distantly, I sense something else in the water with us. Another student, maybe? Or are more of his soldiers on their way to take turns stabbing me?

No. I'm not going to die like this. Not this easily.

I don't think. I let instinct take over. My mind reaches into the water until I feel like I can make it move at my command. Using an invisible tendril of lake water, I press in on Malakai's face, watching with satisfaction as his eyes open wide and the bubbles providing him air smear and pop, scattering into thousands of tiny bubbles that rush upward.

While he's distracted, I kick toward the echo I dropped, scoop it up, and then realize my situation has gone from bad to worse.

I see three shapes coming from behind Malakai, soldiers of his, by my guess. All three are holding magical weapons.

But there's something else. Something much more dangerous.

It wasn't them I sensed in the waters. The thing I sensed is far, far larger than them. And it's moving fast. At first, I think a cloud is passing over the lake far ahead that casts a deep shadow behind the three approaching student soldiers. But then it twists and moves in a way that shadows don't.

Two deep blue eyes suddenly appear behind the three figures, and the eyes make sudden sense of the shadow. It's a serpent with massive wings, and it's coiled and waiting behind the three students, its massive mouth opening slowly.

Malakai manages to get his bubbles back in place over his face. He looks triumphant for a moment, and then he must see the look on my face.

He turns, and a cluster of bubbles bursts up from his head. A scream, I hope.

Maybe I'm about to die, but at least I got the chance to see Malakai become so scared he screamed and broke his spell.

My smile fades when the creature—which looks like it's at least seventy or eighty feet long with wings at least that wide—explodes forward. The first student disappears, seemingly swallowed by the massive shadow of the beast.

It slithers out of view, leaving only a dark stain slowly spreading in the otherwise deep blue water. The other two students turn, see the blood, and begin frantically swimming for the surface.

Malakai turns from them and comes toward me, knife still raised.

Is he serious? Killing me is still his fucking priority?

Even as I see the shadow rush up from the depths again and aim for one of the remaining two student soldiers, I turn my attention to Malakai. I grip the water again with a power that feels like it's already running thin. I form a rope of thickened water and wrap it around his ankle, anchoring him to the ground.

I flinch as he flies toward me, then watch with surprise as the rope of water actually holds. He's jerked back just inches before he reaches me with his knife.

I make the rope extend, wrapping it around his legs and ankles, squeezing them together and pulling him down until he's stuck on the lake's floor.

My ragged breaths and my pounding heart roar inside the bubble of air I'm channeling around my head.

There's only one of Malakai’s allies left, and they've almost reached the lake's surface. I see them pass through a shaft of sunlight, temporarily revealing enough detail to make out it's a girl swimming in the white offering underwear. Whatever weapon she had is long since dismissed as she focuses on escape.

And then I see the creature swirl and twist up from the darkness below. Its body is elegant and lethal—sinuous lines covered in thick scales that catch the sunlight in glittering patterns. The navy blue serpent keeps its wings tucked tight to its side as it gives a swish of its long, finned tail. It explodes upward, jaws snapping shut around the girl just before the beast's momentum carries it above the lake's surface.

For a moment, it's completely gone, leaving only the disturbed ripples of water from its ascent.

And then it crashes back down, those deep blue eyes pointed straight for Malakai as it pumps its tail, rocketing toward him.

Fuck.

I see him struggling to escape, but he can't. He's still anchored by the magical rope of water I'm channeling.

Maybe he's screwed either way—maybe we both are—but I don't want to be part of his death. Maybe he deserves to die, but I'm not going to stain myself by being the one to do it. I don't have time to think about whether that's the right or wrong decision.

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